JPH0783980B2 - Optical connector end face processing method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for processing an end face of an optical connector portion for connecting optical fibers.

(Prior Art) Optical fiber cables for optical communication are adapted to be used by connecting those having an appropriate length, and a connector is used for connecting the cables. More specifically, a connector is fixed to the ends of the optical fibers, and the optical fibers are connected by abutting and coupling the connector portions of both optical fibers.

In the case of connecting optical fibers by butting the connector parts, the abutting surface is processed into a flat surface in order to prevent the loss of the optical signal at the connecting part and to prevent the intrusion of optical noise, or JP-B-58-22306. Like the one described, it was processed into an inclined surface.

However, if the abutting surface of the optical connector is large, it is difficult to completely adhere the end faces of both optical fibers to each other.Therefore, recently, the abutting end surface of the optical connector is processed into a partial spherical shape or a conical shape and abutted. The surface tends to be made substantially smaller and the adhesion tends to be improved.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional example of such an end face processing method for an optical connector portion. In FIG. 2, a connector 22 is covered and fixed on the outer circumference of the end face of one optical fiber 21, and the tip edge of this connector portion 22 is pressed against the tip face of the grindstone 24. The grindstone 24 is provided integrally with the rotary shaft 26 and is rotationally driven in a fixed direction, and the connector portion 22 is reciprocally rotated together with the optical fiber 21 within a range of approximately one rotation around the central axis. The tip end surface of the grindstone 24 rotates in a plane having an appropriate angle with respect to the central axis of the optical connector section 22, so that the tip end section of the connector section 22 is processed into a conical shape. If the grindstone 24 is moved in an arc around a certain point as indicated by the arrow a, the tip of the optical connector portion 22 can be processed into a spherical shape. Further, as shown by the arrow b, by moving the grindstone 24 in the direction of the central axis thereof, it is possible to adjust the cut amount of the tip portion of the optical connector portion 22.

As a material for the connector portion 22, a conventional resin such as phenol has been used in many cases, but recently, a ceramic has been used.

In many cases, the processing of the optical connector portion is performed at the laying site of the optical fiber cable.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) According to the above-described conventional method for processing the end face of the optical connector portion, the optical fiber may be twisted as the connector portion reciprocally rotates, and the optical fiber may be broken or entangled.
In addition, since the optical connector part reciprocally rotates at a fixed position, undulations occur on the processed surface of the tip of the optical connector part, and when the optical connector parts are joined together, the light transmission efficiency of the optical fiber parts decreases. It was

On the other hand, a method of processing the end face of the optical connector part while continuously rotating the optical connector part in one direction may be considered, but at the installation site of the optical fiber, the optical connector part at the end part of the optical fiber laid through the duct etc. If the optical fiber is twisted and broken when it is processed while being continuously rotated, it is impossible to process the optical connector part of the installed optical fiber while continuously rotating it in one direction.

The present invention was made in order to solve the problems of the conventional end face processing method for an optical connector, prevents twisting of a long optical fiber, and thus prevents disconnection or entanglement of the optical fiber, Further, there is provided a method for processing an end surface of an optical connector, in which no undulation occurs on the processed surface of the tip portion of the optical connector, and the end surface of the optical connector can be processed into a conical shape while the optical connector portion is fixed. The purpose is to

(Means for Solving Problems) According to the present invention, a grindstone is rotatably supported by a sleeve that is rotationally driven, and the grindstone is rotated by tilting a rotation axis of the grindstone with respect to a rotation center axis line of the sleeve. The optical connector part fixed to the end of the optical fiber is moved so as to draw a conical surface, and the central axis of the optical connector is aligned with the central axis of the sleeve so as to face the grindstone. It is characterized in that it is processed into a shape.

(Operation) The grindstone rotates about its axis of rotation, and the sleeve rotates about its axis. Since the axis of rotation of the grindstone is inclined with respect to the center axis of rotation of the sleeve, the grindstone moves in a swinging manner while drawing a conical surface around the axis of the sleeve while rotating. By pressing the end surface of the optical connector portion against the grindstone, the end surface of the optical connector portion is processed into a conical shape.

(Embodiment) In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 is a processing apparatus main body formed in a cylindrical shape, and a sleeve 15 is rotatably supported in the main body 10 via bearings 13, 13. Sleeve 15
One end of the
19 is stuck. A gear 18 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 17 meshes with the gear 19. The motor 17 constitutes a rotational driving means for the sleeve 15, and the motor 15 is driven to rotationally drive the sleeve 15 via the gears 18 and 19.

A shaft 16 is rotatably supported by the sleeve 15 and
Both ends of 16 project from both ends of the sleeve 15. Axis 16
A grindstone 14 is fixed to one end of the shaft, and the other end of the shaft 16 is a motor.
Directly connected to 20 output shafts. It constitutes a rotational driving means for the grindstone 14 of the motor 20, and is integrally provided on the sleeve 15. The shaft 16 serves as a rotation axis of the grindstone 14, and the grindstone 14 is rotationally driven about the rotation axis 16 by driving a motor 20. The rotation axis A of the grindstone 14 is set to have an appropriate inclination angle with respect to the rotation center axis B of the sleeve 15. The tip surface (the left end surface in the figure) of the grindstone 14 is a flat surface.

Now, when trying to process the end face of the optical connector portion using the above processing device, with respect to the flat surface of the grindstone 14, the end face of the optical connector portion 12 which is fixed by covering the outer periphery of the end portion of the optical fiber 11. Face each other. In this case, the optical connector
The central axis C of 12 is aligned with the central axis B of the sleeve 15, and the optical connector portion 12 is appropriately fixed by fixing means.
The grindstone 14 is rotationally driven by a motor 20 about a rotation axis 16, and a sleeve 15 that holds the grindstone 14 rotatably is a motor 17
Is driven to rotate about its central axis B.
Since the rotation axis A of the grindstone 14 is inclined with respect to the rotation center axis B of the sleeve 15, the grindstone 14 rotates about the axis A and moves around the axis B in a swinging motion to draw a conical surface. . Therefore, as shown by the arrow D, if the entire processing device is moved in the direction of the central axis B of the sleeve 15 and the tip surface of the grindstone 14 is pressed against the end surface of the optical connector portion 12, a conical surface is drawn to move. The end face of the optical connector portion 12 is processed into a conical shape by the grinding stone 14 for cutting. The cut amount of the end surface of the optical connector portion 12 is determined by the movement amount of the entire processing device in the arrow D direction.

The angle between the rotation axis A of the grindstone 14 and the central axis B of the sleeve 15 can be set arbitrarily, and thus the conical inclination angle of the end face of the optical connector portion 12 can be arbitrarily set.

When the angles of the axes A and B are small, the motor 20 as the rotation driving means of the grindstone 14 is provided on the main body 10 side, and the shaft is provided via the belt.
16 may be turned.

Thus, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, when processing the end face of the optical connector portion 12 of the optical fiber 11 with the grindstone 14, the optical connector portion 12 is fixed by an appropriate means, and the grindstone 14 is rotated to draw a conical shape. Since the optical fiber 11 is not twisted,
It is possible to prevent disconnection and entanglement of the optical fiber 11, and the optical connector portion 12 is processed by the grindstone 14 that continuously rotates in one direction and moves along a conical surface.
It is possible to obtain a processed surface with high accuracy without generating undulations on the processed surface, and thus to reduce the reduction in light transmission efficiency in the connected state of optical fibers. Further, since the optical connector portion 12 is processed in a fixed state, the end face of the optical connector portion at the end of the installed optical fiber can be easily processed at the installation site.

(Effect of the Invention) According to the present invention, the end face of the optical connector portion is processed by fixing the optical connector portion at the end portion of the long optical fiber and moving the grindstone while drawing a conical surface. Therefore, the optical fiber will not be twisted, the optical fiber can be prevented from being broken or entangled, and the optical connector part can be continuously rotated in one direction by a grindstone that moves in a conical surface. Since it is processed, there is no waviness on the processed surface, so
The decrease in light transmission efficiency in the connected state of the optical fibers is also reduced. Further, since the optical connector portion is processed in a fixed state, the end surface of the optical connector portion at the end of the optical fiber can be easily processed even in the installed optical fiber.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing an embodiment of an end surface processing method for an optical connector portion according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of a conventional end surface processing method for an optical connector portion. 11 …… Optical fiber, 12 …… Optical connector, 14 …… Grinding stone, 15 …… Sleeve, A …… Grinding stone rotation axis, B …… Sleeve rotation axis, C …… Optical connector axis.

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Toshiro Doi 3-9-11 Midoricho, Musashino City, Tokyo Inside NTT Corporation, Institute of Electronics, Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuo Matsunaga 3-9-11 Midoricho, Musashino City, Tokyo Japan (72) Inventor Kazuharu Saito 6100 Uehara, Ina City, Nagano Sankyo Seiki Co., Ltd. Ina Factory

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A grindstone is rotatably supported by a sleeve that is driven to rotate, and the grindstone is moved so as to draw a conical surface while rotating the grindstone by inclining the axis of rotation of the grindstone with respect to the center axis of rotation of the sleeve. An optical connector in which the end face of the optical connector portion is fixed to the end portion of the optical fiber and the end axis of the optical connector portion is processed into a conical shape by aligning the central axis line with the central axis line of the sleeve and facing the grindstone. End face processing method.